It is the week of red cellophane-covered chocolate boxes, anonymous cards and anything else that can be emblazoned with hearts.

But why hearts? Yes, in ancient times, the heart was considered the epicentre of life. Aristotle, (4th century B.C) considered the human heart to be the seat of intelligence, motion and sensation. But science has long since proved that these are the functions of the brain.

We live and operate in a world of logic and analysis, comparisons, knowledge and thinking. Conscious thought is generated ‘in our heads’ and that is where most of us spend the majority of our time.

So why don’t we share our brains with those we care about on Valentine’s Day? Possibly because Halloween’s already covered the market on brain-shaped candy … Or some might say romantic love and attraction tends to fly in the face of logic and clear thinking ... Perhaps, but I think it’s more than that. Our hearts represent something that our heads don’t manage. We still put our hand on our hearts to take an oath.

Heart metaphors pervade our language: have a heart, take heart, learn by heart, my heart and soul, from the bottom of my heart, follow your heart, that person’s got heart etc. They all mean slightly different things but retain a common flavour.

What is heart? We know it when we see it. It’s those stories which inspire us: athletes whose efforts exceed expectations of what’s thought possible or reasonable, great leaders and roles models driven to uphold the greater good, and those everyday individuals who follow their own drum, do what they believe is right and act with determination, bravery and grace often elevating them to ‘hero’ status. It’s the stuff great movies are filled with, in which I usually end up shedding a tear or two.

Far beyond its role as a blood pump, it seems the figurative images of heart depict other aspects of us, vital to our humanity. The dictionary includes in its definition of ‘heart’: “the emotional or moral as distinguished from the intellectual nature: as

a: generous disposition: compassion …

b: love, affection …

c: courage, ardour …

one’s innermost character, feelings, or inclinations

a: the central or innermost part

b: the essential or most vital part of something” (Merriam-Webster online dictionary)

I get this mental image that somewhere at our centre there is a place wherein lies our inner truth, our highest selves and our potential to live boldly, with passion and kindness. When I hear about ‘living from our heart’ or ‘opening our heart’ etc, it is this source I imagine we tap into. Hokey? Maybe, but by definition, heart seems to be another kind of “knowing”.

Neuroscience student, Mohamed Ghilan’s blog article “Intelligence: is it in the Brain or the Heart” discusses new understanding of the heart’s biology, indeed the mini-brain within our chests, and interesting evidence from heart transplant patients. There’s more to our heart than we merely think.

My personal experience of ‘heart’ is like inner shark oil, creating either a sense of well-being or murkiness. An unexplained inner churning signals I am veering down a path not well suited. I also know that we can get disconnected from this guide. We may cling only to the logical, get into patterns of over thinking and over analysing and get stuck in our heads.

If we disregard that inner calling long enough, it will eventually go quiet. This happened to me during several years of putting up with something I knew ‘in my heart of hearts’ (the metaphors pile up) was not right for me. And since then I have had to work to recapture that inner compass.

Some time ago I attended the Hoffman Process: a weeklong personal development experience that was profoundly affecting. One of their tools they introduced is called the Quadrinity Check-in. It is a guided visualisation where we imagine four aspects of ourselves:

The Intellect — the cerebral part of us, the ‘head’ space I’ve described, vital for operating in the external world but also swayed by ‘shoulds’ and others’ expectations.

The Emotional Child — who drives us through feelings. The fun-loving, vibrant, playful part in all of us that is also vulnerable to hurt and petulance and can cower in fear of rejection and not being loved.

The Body — our physical being, often neglected, ignored or even abused, the body can be a physical reflection of our internal world.

The Spiritual Self — (not religiously affiliated) but our true authentic self (our soul?) our perfect and flawless core residing in deepest calm, holding all our answers and knowing that everything is how it should be at this moment. (Which sounds like ‘heart’ to me.)

The idea is to imagine these important parts of ourselves as separate entities, standing before us. Then with love and respect, we can ask each of them what they need from us right now, what can we do to acknowledge and honour that part of ourselves? We can also ask for a message, anything we need to know in this moment.

The cynics among you may have an eyebrow raised, but I’ve found it surprisingly effective. It’s an exercise in placing our attention and intention in varied ways to gain different perspectives towards inner balance. When was the last time you checked-in with your body, for example? If you’re like me and sit for hours on end at a desk, your body might have something to say about that. Your emotional child may be throwing an internal tantrum, bored stiff by all the ‘to do’ list chores and be demanding some fun or soothing. And your heart, what truth would your heart tell you? Are you willing to listen?

At the end of the visualisation the four aspects are invited back into the body together in harmony. It’s a simple imaginative technique to access better knowing of ourselves.

Some might argue there’s no room in the real world for ‘heart’ — not when it comes to paying the bills or say, in business. ‘Who can afford to take heart into account when we’ve got shareholders to answer to.’ But the examples point to heart being the foundation for greatness. How can we afford not to?

In his best-seller, “Leading with the Heart: Coach K’s Successful Strategies for Basketball, Business, and Life” (Grand Central Publishing, 2001) successful NCAA coach, Mike Krzyzewski emphases not only the win but playing the best possible game. To lead with heart he says: “There are five fundamental qualities that make every team great: communication, trust, collective responsibility, caring and pride.”

So when you’re popping those chocolates this V Day, give yourself the gift of your heart, try checking in with it to see what messages it holds for you.

Julia Pitt is a trained Success Coach and certified NLP practitioner on the team at Benedict Associates. For further information contact Julia on (441) 705-7488, www.juliapittcoaching.com.